Deliciously crispy, baked chicken wings tossed in an easy-to-make, homemade, tangy, smoky, sweet guava bbq sauce.
There’s no question that I love wings. I’m definitely a wings and beer girl through and through. On this blog, you’ll find mojo chicken wings, lemon pepper wings, and garlic parm wings. Well, guess what we’re adding to the list? GUAVA BBQ CHICKEN WINGS! Rejoice!
To know me is to know that I’m obsessed with all things guava. I grew up loving the fruit and all its marmalades, jams, and guava paste. In case you don’t know what I’m talking about here. Allow me to explain.
What is Guava?
Guava is a tropical fruit that is oval in shape with a rough light green skin. Their insides are a light pink color and they taste a little sour-sweet. There are several varieties of guava fruits but the most common one taste like a mix between a strawberry and a lemon. Sounds weird, right? It’s so unique though. Don’t knock it til you try it!
Now because of the fruit’s high pectin content, you’re able to make guava jams, guava marmalade, and guava paste from the fruit. Guava paste is essentially like a fruit leather made by cooking the guava fruit and sugar until it becomes a very thick [delicious] paste. While the jams and marmalade are more drippy, the guava paste is thick and sticky, but still soft enough to slice. While you’ll usually see guava being used in sweet recipes, today we’re using it to make WINGS.
How To Make Guava BBQ Sauce From Scratch
First things first, we have to make the guava bbq sauce. This isn’t hard to make. You just need a few ingredients and a saucepan. You can definitely make this bbq sauce ahead of time and store it in the fridge in an air-tight container for 2-3 weeks.
This bbq sauce is super easy to make using common ingredients you can find in any grocery store. Personally, I am not a fan of using ketchup in bbq recipes so you will not see that here. The guava paste has enough sugar to make this bbq sauce sweet and tangy!
In a small saucepan, add the guava paste (I like the Conchita brand), apple cider vinegar, spiced rum, tomato paste, lime juice, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, liquid smoke, garlic, and water. Bring to a boil.
Once boiling, turn down to low heat. Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally until reduced, about 15 minutes. Season the sauce with salt and pepper. Transfer to a jar. That’s it!
How To Make Guava BBQ Chicken Wings
First things first, make sure to remove the tips and separate the drumettes from the flats. This means 10 whole wings are actually 20 pieces (10 drumettes / 10 flats).
Add the wings to a bowl with fresh lime juice and cuban seasoning while you preheat the oven. You don’t have to leave them marinating too long.
Set a wire rack on top of a lined baking sheet. This allows air to circulate around the wings and fat to drip off which will result in the wings cooking evenly and getting extra crispy.
Make sure to spray the wire rack so the chicken wings don’t stick while cooking. Pat the wings dry and transfer them to the baking sheet.
How long to bake chicken wings
I typically bake chicken wings at 425 degrees F for 35-45 minutes. Since not all ovens are the same, I’d keep an eye on them.
If at the 35-minute mark, they are not fully cooked yet, cook for 5-10 minutes longer. The internal temperature of the wings should be 165 degrees F.
Can I use the air fryer to make chicken wings?
Yes! Yes, you can. Depending on the type of air fryer you have, I’d recommend you follow the chicken setting for your air fryer.
For my air fryer (I have this one), I set it on 360 degrees which is the chicken setting on that particular machine and cook the wings for 20 minutes. I then turn up the heat to 400 degrees for an additional 5 minutes.
Don’t forget to spray the bottom of the basket with cooking spray and space out the wings. You will have to do it in batches but they come out crispy and delicious!
Once the chicken wings are cooked, brush on the delicious guava bbq sauce and place them back in the oven for 5 minutes until the glaze is glossy and caramelized. I like to add even more guava bbq sauce once they are out of the oven. Hehe. #obsessed.
Can’t wait for you to make them!
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 lbs chicken wings, tips removed; drumettes and flats separated (approx. 20-25 wings)
- 4 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 2 tablespoons cuban seasoning
- 1/2 cup guava bbq sauce
Instructions
- Toss chicken wings, lime juice, and Cuban seasoning in a large bowl while the oven preheats.
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Place a wire rack inside a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Spray the wire rack with cooking spray. Set aside.
- Remove wings from the bowl. Pat them dry with paper towels. Lay the chicken wings on the wire rack.
- Bake for 35-45 minutes or until chicken wings are cooked through and crispy. Note: Not all ovens are created equal so keep an eye on them at the 35-minute mark. If they are not yet cooked/crispy, continue to cook for 5-10 more minutes. They are ready when the internal temp is 165 degrees F.
- Once the wings are fully cooked, remove them from the oven. Brush guava bbq sauce on the wings. Place back in the oven and bake until glaze is glossy and lightly caramelized about 5 minutes. Enjoy!
This post was originally published in June 2016. Updated photos and retested the recipe in January 2020.
I love sweet and salty stuff. And oh I miss guava so much! This is just perfect!
Thank you Suchi!
Looks amazing! I bet it’d be great with some spiciness added to it!
Thanks so much, Derek! Spicy + sweet is always a delicious combo!
I bet chicken lovers would enjoy this !
Thank you Jagruti!
Yes Jagruti i agree with you as a chicken lover i love this recipe and even i did not hear about this sauce thanks jamie for this amazing master piece.
Oh my heavens this looks and sounds AMAZING! I have some papaya paste in my cupboard from a Carribean hamper, I wonder if I could use that instead of guava paste?
Thank you! Hmm I believe you can use any fruit paste. Try it and let me know how it comes out. ;)
This sauce sounds sweet, tangy, and absolutely perfect for summer bbq wings. I love tropical fruits like guava. Love the addition of rum, too!
Thank you Lucy!
This sauce recipe sounds delicious. I’ve never tried guava before but im going to have to hunt some down now!
Thank you!
I’m a sucker for anything with guayaba but I’m not crazy about wings. I’m thinking of making these with chicken tenders. How would I have to adjust the temperature & cooking time for it?
I can’t really say since I’ve never made guava BBQ chicken tenders. I’d recommend making the chicken tenders first and making the Guava BBQ sauce separately, then toss the chicken tenders in the sauce while they are still hot. Hopefully, that works out for you! :)
This looks amazing! Is there something I could substitute for the spiced rum for a non-alcohol version?
Hi Bobbi! I believe you can substitute the rum for water however I’ve never done that myself so I can’t really predict how the end result would turn out. Try it and let me know how it works! :)
Can I use a guava jam instead of a paste?
You can but just keep in mind, the consistency will not be as thick since jam is a bit thinner/spreadable than paste. Hope that helps!
Thank you so much, last guava recipe I followed asked for ginger and lemon juice, and now my sauce is way too acidic. This one is a game changer.
If I made a batch ahead of time and put in a mason jar, how long could it stay in a pantry? Do I have to do the canning process if I did that? Also I want to try and add pineapple, any suggestions on how to add it without it making it too thin?
Hi! I’ve never added pineapple so I can’t really say however the guava bbq lasts about a week in the fridge in an airtight container.
This is really amazing and yummy :D
Thank you so much,